Converge : "Beautiful Ruin" Ep

At two and a half minutes "Permanent Blue" is the album's longest song. It displays more of a melodic sense than this EP's other 3 songs that are one and a half burst reminding people of Converges hard core punk roots. On the first songs a couple of things occur that serve as omens of the band's dominance when it comes to this kind of music. The most evident being drummer Ben Koller whose drumming is clearly more inspired by metal thank punk making his patterns more than just the primitive snare tap of punk. The being the chords Kurt Ballou choose to let ring out creating a somber melody to haunt the stampede. Bannon gets some credit as he doesn't just bark his way through this one , his lyrics are more decipherable as his initial vocals are more articulated.

 "Churches and Jails" flies at a rapid hard core pace where "Melancholia" snarls like older crustier classic punk, just packing more weight behind it's punches. "Churches and Jails" eventually with repeat listens begins to grow on me, where the other songs are pretty much already there, with little adjustment needed. It's not that I haven't heard them play that kind of punk before, it's just sometimes even with these guys it can all sound the same and run together. "Beautiful Rain" has a more metallic venom in the speed it pursues you with that takes the spastic temperament of grind core and gives it a thrash heart beat. The riff at the last thirty seconds pretty much makes the whole song worth while,as it is tough as nails and classic Converge.

I'll give this an 8.5, it's almost like an excuse to go on tour, the songs are so short that while they work well within the given minute and a half, considering the speed they are played at, it feels a little rushed in the song writing process , like they just sat down and were like lets just make a six minute ep and play are fastest. Sure this is one side of the band, but it's not as dark and melodic as what I prefer from them, though I have been with these guys almost from the beginning so even this works for me, I did round it down for the creative short cut this feels like, but if you are a fan then you can appreciate this for what it is however these songs don't stand up to say the songs from " the Poacher Diaries".
 

Manes : " Slow Motion Death Sequence"

This album finds the band going further in a direction that is more electronic than metal. I like the vocals right from the jump. They are moody and the female vocals remind me of Bjork. While this might not be metal, there are rock elements to this song with distorted power chords creating a driving pulse. The male vocals continue to get weirder on "Scion" . In some ways it reminds me of Peter Gabriel. I like how this song cruises along in a very smooth futuristic manner. "Chemical Heritage" is darker and a little more dramatic. The electronics are moving this one more than guitars. The drums give it a little more rock kick. Everything eventually converges into more of a solid groove.

They take "Therapism" into a really weird and wonderful direction, it has pretty much anything I could ask for from these guys. "Last Resort" takes a more tender approach, feeling more psychedelic than a ballad, the vocals go up into more of a falsetto. The guitar explores Pink Floyd like places. "Poison Enough For Everyone" returns to the darker more dramatic rock style that largely dominates this album. "Building the Ship of Theseus" is the first song that doesn't connect with me as solidly as the rest of the album has up to this point. There is nothing wrong with it, to my ears the focus is not as unique or crystal clear.

"Night Vision" finds the electronic atmosphere coming on much thicker. The soulful head placement of the vocals remind me of the band Satchel from the 90s. The vocals become even more androgynous, ok more feminine with the lilted falsetto of " Ater". The beat to this one drones in a more acid jazz manner before the guitars come in. I'll round this album up to a 10, I guess I'll see how long this stays in rotation, but I have a feeling some of the weirder moments would only grow on me over time. The dark coat draped over this album is great.

Self Defense Family : "Have You Considered Punk Music"

 I like these guys a lot and know despite the title I should not expect them to actually consider playing punk music , though it would be interesting if they did. There is a Bright Eyes sense of sentimentality to the brand of introspective indie rock they are jangling though here. "Certainty of Paradise" is a few bpms more upbeat , but clangs in a way that is not as sure of itself as the first song. There is a little more pronounced King Missile vibe to "No Analog or Precedent". The trumpet in this song is a nice touch and there is more of a dynamic tension that builds on this song as well. I had to go back and give "Watcher at the Well" a second listen for it to sink in. It has an odd narrative, set against the atmosphere.

"Nobody Who Matters Cares" is yet another song where the guitar is interesting , but the vocals sound like they are being sung by someone distracted by the fact they forgot to take their meds. There is a slight country twang to it. The title track finds the vocals even at a more subdued murmur that borders on a breathy whisper. There is a gray slo-core feeling to the lingering drag of the guitar. The song hovers where it starts so not much in the way of dynamics. "Have You Considered Anything Else" works off a slow drone like some kind of narcotic folk music, the vocals do build a little from the more hushed place they start from. There us a more post- rock feel underlying "Raw Contempt" . The drums do a better job of keeping things moving, so the moody hesitation of the vocals has less of the song's weight upon them and this formula works much better for them. There is less function and form to "Slavish Devotion to Form" that follows this. The vocals feel more like spoken word. Things get darker for "the Right Kind of Adult". The drums feel more like Joy Division, though the synths and pianos that comprise most of the song focus more on ambiance. While the band thinks that this is their best album yet, well of course they are going to say that, I think it's much less focused and not as vocally interesting as "Colicky", so I will round it down to an 8. Still better than a great deal of bands. I don't normally listen to a ton of indie rock, so it's a nice break and when I do listen to indie rock I want to hear melancholy stuff like this, but I am sure if you are a regular reader it's no surprise as I have covered this band before.

Sleepwalker: "一期一会"

I
n the first minute and a half the first song has already shifted from varied levels of prog, most of which bearing a dark dreamy narcotic drips that even coats the blast beats they launch into while the dark hole they sound like they are playing in front of attempts to swallow them.In other words if Twin Peaks was going to have a black metal band playing these guys would be it. "If Return a Mirror Glance" starts with a weird dissonance mathy prog craze before settling into more of a groove. There is more of a metal feel to "Never Through a Threshold" which is does engage their odd angular side, but has more than enough blast beats to resonate as black metal if that is how you wish to identify these guys. It also doesn't have as distinct of a personality as the first two songs.

By the time I get to "No Premature Celebrations" I have begun  to wonder what the point of the screamed vocals are . They don't really go with anything and sometimes seem to be the only link to metal going on at the moment. Midway into this song it smooths out into a really nice dark section. The vocals here do have  marginally more form and function. These guys pretty much shut down the argument that black metal songs need to be over 10 minutes long as they cram a lot into five or six minutes easy. "Never Ailments Oneself" is one of the album's most melodic songs and has some interesting percussion along with great guitar playing.

"No Clinking of Glasses" finds the vocals changing. The remind me a little more of Today is the Day here. This song is more like free form jazz with angry bouts of metal thrown in. When it does go down more of a metal hole it's in brief bursts. I'll give this album an 8.5. It's strength is the original vision this band has, it's weakness is the vocals are more often than not an after thought and the production is too murky.If you are into progressive black metal then it's worth your time.

Nine Inch Nails : " Bad Witch"

The final installment of Reznor's trilogy of eps dropped. This was an exploration for him as to where he fit in the world today. Going into this I had perhaps read too many interviews. The stage was set too well. The production on the first song is a little weird. It feels muffled by the distortion almost like it is trying to hard. There is guitar but it doesn't sound heavy. The muffled distant mix continues with the hip hop inflected break beat of "Ahead of Ourselves". While I like the vocals to this song better than the first song, I'm not really getting blown away here. The chant the song ends in is not that hooky, leaving this song just shy of standing up against even his most recent efforts.

The ambient abrasion employed on "Play the Goddamn Part" makes this like the audio equivalent of Twin Peaks, so it's not surprising Lynch featured Reznor on an episode. There is more ambiance than there is song leaving this as a more abstract interlude than something needing your attention.  With the sax and frenetic break beats I can hear how this is an almost blatant homage to Bowie, with Reznor trying to do his best croon. To his credit these songs are fairly compact. "I'm Not From This World" is another atmosphere noise-scape. I listened to it once and deleted it which is about what it's worth.

"Over and Out" closes the album. It's a slower groove that pauses to let the bass line simmer in the middle. We are three and a half minutes into it before the vocals come in. There is another Bowie like vocal that comes in to make this song more enjoyable at least for me in that regard, but I would not say it's Reznor's best work. Then there is two mins of ambient noise that closes this song. So despite the fact he wants you to think of this as an lp there is a ton of  dead air wasting time here. If I wanted to listen to Brain Eno , I know where to find him. I'll round this down to an 8.5 and see how long these songs last in my iPod, I think this is Reznor being a better producer than song writer, but even when he is just dialing it in , he is still better than most.

Code Orange : " The Hurt Goes On"

I don't review a ton of EPs. But when I do it has to be from a band I really like a lot. Code Orange is such a band. Their album "Forever" rules pretty hard as it showed them utilizing a bigger sound and blending a more industrial tinged influence into the mix. That industrial side of the band is given The first song is gritty and dense metal core that takes the concept of metal and hardcore thrown together and succeeds on every angle. It's only two minutes and considering how much goes down in those two minutes you can hear the grind core influence.

"The Hunt" works off of a sample of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf". Taunt and machine like in the syncopated pummeling the deal. The guitar tone might be even more bad ass than what they beat our ears with on "Forever". There is a great deal of glitch tinged electronics adding the chaos of it's color to the mix. Corey Taylor from Slip Knot adds his vocals to this song, but it's his more forceful bark so it blends in with what they normally do and doesn't turn into some cheesy Stone Sour power ballad. Then the remixes from "Forever" start coming. The first is the title track of this ep. It's pretty close to the album version with just a touch of more electronics that makes it even darker. The Drum Corps remix of " broken.selfish.scum.within" is next and it's almost like an Igorr song. "Power Green" is another stomp down the industrial rabbit hole. The caustic vocals are buried in the buzz of noise laced over this mix.  It gets really noisy by the end of the song.

Sure this is just holding out attention until they release a follow up to "Forever" but that is something I would not want them to rush as the expectations would just be too high. So just taking the EP for what it is I'll still give it a 9 as the first two song rock pretty hard and I love how the left of center electronics are blended with their take on metallic hard core. If you are a fan of the band it's a nice snack to hold you over, the first two songs also serve as a decent entry point for new comers though in the grand scheme of things don't see this really winning over a ton of new fans.

SML8 : "Transfigurate"

Just stumbled into the new one from this odd industrial band. I like these guys are really dark. There are some odd touches like when the vocals are not sounding like a possessed cyborg they sound more like a steam punk pirate. I was surprised by the guitar solo that erupts in this song. 3/4's into the song more organic elements begin to reveal themselves including the fact there is a real drummer on board. "Vulture" finds the cyber punk soundtrack given more groove as the samples of terrified women scream out. Female vocals grace this song. Things continue to get more metallic on "Tic Toc", the spiral of pyrotechnic guitars makes this a little over indulgent. "Digital Demise" focuses more on the percussive elements of their sound with the guitar giving things more breathing room. The over driven vocals have a more robotic sound to them. The female vocals also return on this song.The break donw should not surprise me , but I was expecting it to stay more along industrial lines.

There is more of the industrial thrash to "Redrawing the Lines" . It slows into a creepier section before building back up almost like nu-metal. Things slow down and get darker for the melodic "Falling Further" that features actual sung vocals. It has a more brooding pulse that you find your self waiting to erupt into the more metallic explosion the album has hit you with thus far. They find themselves capable of using restraint. The female vocals lead into the verse of "Void" before the screamed male vocal trades off. There is a Marilyn Manson spookiness to "Solace in Solitude" though you can here traces of how Skinny Puppy might also be one of their long lost influences in how some of the vocals are produced.

There is more  of a Disturbed like groove to the guitar riff that opens "Scathed" but the verse descends in a nightmarish robo-gargoyle gurgle. The guitar solos kind of come out of no where even though it's not the first on this album, I forgot that it was part of their thing. "Sound Salvation" has a darker groove that I like , however I don't think the vocals work with it as well as they could in the verse, though the songs shift in a way that if one part doesn't connect as soundly it's ok because it's going to turn into something else soon. It ends with a instrumental that sounds like it should be playing during a Final Fantasy commercial. Overall this album is pretty solid, I'll have to give it time to see how it grows on me, I'll give it an 8.5.

Looking Back in Anger : Pantera's "Great Southern Trendkill"

 Now seems like a fitting time to go back and re-visit, what I always felt was the bands most under rated album. Their 8th album the band was fighting drugs just like I was in 96 which gave it a darker and more aggressive turn. The groove they are known for is still there, but the album opens with them blasting out from a much angrier place. "Drag the Waters" shows them doing this with a touch of blues that had always been there to some extent , but the swampier tones are really brought out here. "10s" is my favorite song as the lyrics resonated with me at the time, listening back well...I guess they still speak to my inner teenager, but there is a great depth in the layered guitars here and Phil really sings his guts out on this one.

On "13 Steps to Nowhere" Seth Putnam from Anal Cunt lends his screams. Vocally there are more layers, and effects added which is not surprising as he recorded the vocals at Trent Reznor's studio. The first part of the two 'Suicide Note" songs is almost more like an interlude, the two work together as a whole piece. The guitar has an almost country feel. The backwards guitar parts sounded really good when you were high. Until they lock into the "do it do it " part it kinda blasts by you, but they lock into some shit that is heavy as fuck for sure. "Living Through Me" is the first song that really revisits who the band was on "Vulgar Display" .  'Floods" is probably my second favorite song on the album. I love how the effects sit on Phils voice and the guitar is great, one of Dime's best solos.

"the Underground America" is big loud and angry, with some of  Vinnie's best drumming on here.Though it's not my favorite song on the album. "Sandblasted Skin" has some really mean riffs, but the last two songs feel like they are just throwing heavy at you for the sake of throwing heavy, almost like it was, "Well, we were really high most of the time we were in the studio so we gotta throw some more heavy shit in". But there dialing it in is better than the best most bands can do. This album gets a 10.

Totenwagen : "Notte di guai"

I immediately do not the vocals to the first song off this Italian band's new album. There are some dark moments, almost a Frankenstein like lumber that sounds ready for Halloween. But I am not sure if that makes this death rock. I has a black n roll feel in the sense that there is roughened brawn that blitzes through the bark off these songs. The vocals continue your their deal breaking bark. On the first song I told myself, rather than waste time hunting for something else to review I could let this album play and casually write in spurts as I wen since there is other stuff I could be working on. The vocals go in a more punk direction a few songs in for "Spit and Run".  This is an improvement as the music had up until this point been much better than the vocals which were dragging it down.

 You have to be careful what you hope for as once this happens the music all begins to sound the same. The only thing that really breaks this up is a weird almost medieval flavor to the interlude that comes in the middle of the album. It breaks things up for them to go back to a more punk influence frolic. There is another melodic folk metal feel that pops up against the gang vocals. So it's not like these guys are purely another gutter punk band dressed darkly enough for Halloween. The keyboards are what really draws the line in the sand with this and sometimes makes me think of Murder City Devils, who were also dark like this.

The more nuanced runs going through some of the riffs have echoes of Iron Maiden's first two albums. At the end of the day punk wins out. I'll give this album a 6.5, which is dramatically higher than what I might have imagined going into it as I was unsure I could make it through since I hate the vocals, but they switch those up enough for me to be able to make it through and here some unique things they add to their take on punk.

Marduk : "Viktoria"

The furious gallop of "Were-wolf" has a punk edge to it that reminds me of Motorhead. This is increased when the kids start chanting were-wolf. There is a darker throb to "June 44". So i have given this album several listens before writing about it, during this time it has given me time to compare the first time I heard thee songs to how they feel with repeat listens, this is where I notice some songs rather than grow me , grew annoying due to the uniform nature of the blast beats. This song is where I first notice it. "Equestrian Bloodlust" rages at such a similar speed the quick pauses are the only thing that really sets this song apart. Many of these songs run together even on something like " Tiger I" where they slow into a more deliberate pulse.

They waste little time speeding back up on "Narva". This album is not huge on dynamics, but it's an exercise in the band doing what they do well. In some ways it feels like this album is only a justification to go on tour. I get that we are 14 albums in with these guys so the element of surprise is non-existent. This begins to become and album that if I look away from iTunes, it all runs together and next thing I now we are three songs deeper. The unrelenting tempo is the main culprit here. "Last Fallen" feels marginally more intentional and less like a blurry temper tantrum. The title track doesn't do much to set itself apart but rages in the same fashion as the rest of this speed fest.

"The Devil's Song" has the same buzz of tremolo picked guitar running through it. At this point Marduk is beginning to feel like the AC/DC of black metal. The vocals sometimes go from this screamed mid range rasp to more of a shouted declaration. The blast beats have already numbed you out at this point and the guitar melodies are buried in the rushed anger coursing through these songs."Silent Night" is their last chance to do something different though at this point it would not even matter. They do slow down and churn out something that is darker and posses more melody, which is frustrating because why did we just get hit with that blur of songs that all sounded the same? I'll give this album a 7. CENTURY Media is releasing this, if you are a fan of the band you might not notice my complaints as you have lready heard the first 13 records which sounded no different.

Craft : "White Noise and Black Metal"

Things have changed for this Swedish band. I loved how "Void" was very hateful. People now say hate like it's soiling their soul.. Would you want to listen to black metal that doesn't have a soiled soul? But right from the smoother guitar tone of the first song it's obvious things are now very different for this band. The sonic sprawl of their sound allows them to get away with more blast beats than before It is however not as hateful as I hope which took at period of adjustment for me. Now that I have sat on this album a few days it will be a more accurate listen. I can hear things like how the bass lines are more nuanced and melodic. This melodic underpinning becomes more pronounced on the throb of "Again".

After repeated listens "Undone" has a slightly diminished impact and seems like it continues a theme started on the previous song. Not a bad song, but it runs together with the first two songs. There are moments that deviate from the formula and the overall sound of the band stays strong. "Tragedy of Pointless Games" has more form and function at times carrying a more rock n roll groove. This rock n roll feeling can also be found on the more riff oriented "Darkness Falls" . Up to this point the album was beginning to remind me of Inquistion, and while this song also finds the vocal croaking out their narrative, it also feels like we are getting another side of this band's personality.

Aside from the muttering in the song's last minute, "Crimson" is not dynamic enough to justify being an instrumental. "YHVH's  Shadow" finds them reverting back to the blast beat.The song does build up into more of crescendo. There is a dissonance to this song I like. So closing in on the 4 minute mark when things slow down it flows very naturally into the shifting mood.The song :White Noise"is not noise . In fact it summons up a pretty powerful chug. One of the album's most straight forward song, but also one of the most effective. I'll give this one a 9. It's less confrontational and more mature, a phrase that might not seem to be praise in many black metal circles , but here it works for what they are doing. Released on Season of Mist.

Sear Bliss : "Letters From the Edge"

Hungarian metal band Sear Bliss begins to trade it's black metal roots for a touch of death metal. They have always been adventurous. They wander off into melodic passages to provide a wider range of dynamics than your average metal band. They manner in which this goes down on the first song reminds me of 90s bands like Samael or Tiamat. "Seven Springs" gets more symphonic, but this happens in a very organic fashion. This also brings a more romantic element that places it more toward the black metal side of the fence. The melody to "A Mirror in the Forest" carries a majestic march that gives it a more viking metal feel, in it's sense of high fantasy. At the solo it gets a little darker, but darkness doesn't seem to be what this album is about.

This album is colored with a wide range of guitar tones and benefits from excellent production value all the way around that doesn't forsake their edge. As a whole their sound seems to be going in more of an Enslaved direction when they are ready to rock. Low almost spoken vocals wait until the second act of  "Abandoned Peaks"  to come in. These guys get credit for writing very concise songs, only once do they tip the ten minute mark, which is cool because it makes it stand out from the other songs. "Haven" is slower and more straight forward, a step more towards a mainstream metal direction. They go a more straight forward death metal route with plenty of melodic nuances on "the Main Devide" . They stay in this more moderate but dark and heavy almost rock n roll direction for "Leaving Forever Land". This is the ten minute song so there was plenty of time for them to revert to blast beats so that happens. Five minutes in and I am trying to figure out if there is any where else for them to go with this that is more worthwhile. It breaks down into cleaner guitar tones that lead to a more deliberate and melodic section.

The album closes with "Shroud", another song that finds the band stepping down a slicker more stream lined direction. The growled vocals the only thing really anchoring it to being a metal song. The horn section joins in to give an added symphonic kick. This album really excels and shows growth. I am sure some might frown as it is not as cvlt as their old black metal fan base might prefer, but it's good music and that is hard to argue against. I'll give it a 9.

Dopethrone : "Transcandian Anger"

This Canadian band has unleashed it's 5th album of bong fueled doom. I have been sitting on this one while letting the manner in which the band  crosses over from stoner metal into doom with the ominous darkness  soak in with a few listens. While they are good at what they do , as soon as two songs in what they do can take on a more uniform sound. Some of this is due to the fact that the rasped vocals are pretty much a one trick pony. When they use things like samples to add another dimension it works best for them. They need as many different layers of sounds to keep things different enough. The charge into a more muscular bulldozing with "Killdozer" living up to the name. This puts them closer into being sludge. It's almost like an over-driven black metal  version Motorhead covering Black Sabbath. When they slow down for "Scuzgasm" then it's getting redundant.

They tend to do better when picking the pace up into more of the sludged out jamming. The vocals sneer with a rasp from behind the wall of guitar rolling at you. The lyrics to this one however are easier to make out. It does slow into more of a lurch and lumber, but this works better dynamically than other attempts. "Snort Dagger " is back to the slower more doom flavored heaviness, that comes across murkier here. It drags as intended, but doesn't feel that it works off what they do best as effectively. Next is a cover of  ZZ-Top's "Kush" which they have re-titled "Killbilly Kush". This adapts well to their style.

They close the album with well balanced blend of doom and sludge for "Miserbilist". This one has more stomp in it's chug.I don't think these guys are as mean and nasty as Fistula, though with their use of samples they are heading in a similar direction. I'll around this up to a 7.5, it's not the most original thing I have heard, and the vocals are a one trick pony , but they are very good at what they do..

Lizzy Borden : "My Midnight Things"

Ok lets get one thing out of the way first. Why the fuck is there a cover of 'Silent Night" on here? There is no excuse for that and the first thought I had been I heard it was "I can't delete this fast enough. Now on a more positive note. His voice sounds great. Though I am trying to find what is really him  by searching through layers of vocal overdubs. By "Obsessed With You" the Queensryche influence is more prevalent. His vocal is little lower , perhaps with age but "Long May They Haunt Us" sounds like a more rock n roll version of who this band used to be. "the Scar Across My Heart " is a little too happy, a little too rock n roll and a little less metal than I want it to be. I am using "Visual Lies" as the album I am measuring these songs against. They do the best job of bringing a new modern sound to what they are doing while maintaining their classic identity on a song like "A Stranger to Love".

I don't mind the effects on his voice at the beginning of "Perfect Poison". I am trying to be ok with the gratuitous use of synths  here. The guitar is trying to hold tension as they decide if they want this to be a power ballad or not. Not the album's best song, but it doesn't suck either. They commit to a ballad for better or worse on "Run Away With Me". When they try to shift dynamics and go into a rock section it sounds like Styx's cheesier moments. "Our Love is God" actually rocks so this album runs hot and cold. The chug of the guitar sits well against the vocals. The reprise of the title that opened the album is more ballad like take on the song. His voice doesn't sound half bad, and while I would be prefer to hear a harder rock take on the song, this stripped down version is good for what it is.

The vocals continue to have Queen like layers of harmonies on "We Belong In Shadows". Despite the song's title this is not that dark in fact it might be a little too happy for me. The keyboards sound like 80s new wave, but the vocals are too Aldo Nova, oh...right some of you are too young to know who that is , well you did not miss much. The there is another reprise this time it's "Long My They Haunt Us". it's beginning to sound like a musical. Once again this could be worse, it's not the direction I would prefer to hear them go in, but they pull it off. The album closes with an updated version of " Waiting in the Wings " from "Master of Disguise" which is the album Lizzy and I parted ways on because it was such a departure from metal. Here the song works in this context and they did a great job bringing it into today. It sounds a little like Alice Cooper's new wave years. I'll round this up to an 8.5 as it might not measure up against the classics , but his voice is holding up and it's a better comeback than I could have hoped for.

Bullet For My Valentine : "Gravity"

Far from an expert on this brand of Myspace metal, I do know that these guys were more 80's hair metal than emo. The new drummer and more electronic elements finds them taken a turn closer to what 30 Seconds to Mars does if you coupled it with breakdowns. In 2018 these Myspace metal bands find themselves trying to figure out how to adapt to the state of music today much like the hair metal bands did when grunge broke big. There is not a dominate musical trend today like there was in the early 90s, nor will there be. With music being consumed in such a different manner today than even at the dawn of Myspace, labels want more streamlined product they don't have to take chances with similar to Hollywood's fascination with re-boots and remakes. The second song "Over It" shows the danger of being not a metal band in 2018, but a hard rock band trying to play it safe. They play the notes are not explosive enough to convince me.

Things continue to delve further down a poppier path. Though it's like the CW asked for something with edge for a teen age biker party. The 30 Seconds to Mars envy grows worse on "Not Dead Yet". The production is bigger on this album and if you told me the producer also produced 30 Seconds to Mars it would make perfect sense to me, The guitar tone on "Piece of Me" sounds like it could have come from a Deftones tones album. They might say fuck a few times but it's about as aggressive as it gets. The song has hooks, but few balls. They sound more like Linkin Park without the rapping on "Under Again".  "Gravity" begins to blend into the other song as this album begins to become rather dependent on it's formula.

If you are looking for these guys to get heavy this is clearly not the album for that. They are given you a collection of power ballads for millenials who missed out the 80s, but through a filter of slick production that makes most of the radio rock sound the same. The most determined effort and being is on "Don't Need You" , but things turn back around and find them in the same direction most of these songs go when it comes to the chorus. They fully commit to bringing the ballads and break out the acoustic guitars on the last song. Selling out made sense back in the day when people bought albums , but now not so much. If your goal is to get on a tour with the Foo-fighters then maybe. I'll give this one a 4 as it wimps out at every turn and is not true to who they used to be, not that who they were was that hard core in the first place , but I prefer the more Motley Crue version of this band.This album comes out June 29th.

Void of Silence : "the Sky Over"

It's been 8 years since this band's last album and it opens with a 16 minute song that could have easily been a 11 minute song. I'm a conundrum as I love doom, but have grown weary of 15 minute songs. When this song gets to the meat of the matter it's great, with mournful crooned vocals. Luca Soi is on the mic this time around. He gives it almost a Primordial feel, which will please fans who like the album  Alan Averill sang on. The synths are thick and almost threaten to over power the guitars. There are song interlude the length of normal songs, but all of the album's actual songs are sprawling 15 minute plus epics.

 The title track doesn't' grab me like the opener even though it works off all the same things that made the opener rock. The guitar solo might be marginally more indulgent and gives the song a little more of a jammy quality. I think the vocal melody wanders a little the more I listen to it. Though the ambiance is pretty thick on this one leaving some wide cracks for the vocals to fall into. It feels more like background music than metal which should grab you by the throat.I like the guitar solos that open "Farthest Shores" , but I do think some of the fat could have been trimmed. In fact the first five minutes , which would have brought this down to an 11 minute song. The vocals are stronger here. I like how in the last couple of minutes the song takes a darker turn.The album ends with an atmospheric instrumental tinged with faint traces of female vocals in the background.

Due to the song lengths and consuming atmosphere, I don't see this album as something to have in my iPod for a trip to the gym. It is however a great album that I have enjoyed listening to. Almost cinematic in it's scope.I'll give it a 9 and strongly recommend it to fans of doom that is lush and layered with old school metal melodic qualities.

Cemetery Lust : "Rotting In Piss"

If you put Venom, Possessed and early Slayer in a blender the results would be this band. Those are all bands I liked a lot in high school. The energy they recapture certainly carries the first song. Then the second song relies on the moshier riff to keep my attention, leaving me a little worried as to how bored I might become midway into the album. "Fatal Infestion" proves my prediction right. It's too straight forward. The barked snarl of the vocals repetitious. More love should have been given to the drums in the studio as they are what made or broke these bands back in the day. I can here where today's metal millennials might be fooled by this, but I grew up during this time so remember when this kind of music first hit. It was exciting then. Here it's like reheating left overs.

By "Bowels of Blasphemy" it's all starting to run together to me. The vocal patterns all to similar. They remain in a nasty sneered narrative. The rule here is cool riffs alone do not a good song make. For your average thrash band who doesn't have the writing talents of Exodus or Testament this can be daunting. Thrash lived or died by the riffs. They vocals lower into a death metal growl on " Hideous Nature" which is about the extent of the dynamic shift this album carries as it generally sticks to the same speed through out. There is more of punchy Slayer feel to " Witches Seduction". I guess punk rock kids looking to get into metal might dig this. But it's a reminder to me why I prefer doom and black metal to thrash and death metal. It is a shame because those early thrash metal albums are what gave me a taste for heavier metal.

I'll give this album a 5.5. It doesn't suck, but it's so redundant it fades into the background. Thrash should hit you , have sharp enough hook to grab your attention and keep you coming back for more. If you are too young to know better then I would suggest checking out albums like "Show No Mercy" and "Seven Churches". This album comes out July 20th.

Secret Cutter :"Quantum Eraser"

Heavy... that is the mission statement here. This Trio is one of the band's whose name I am familiar with, but have never sat down to give a solid listen. Sludge seems to be the focus, though the spastic tormented vocals could come from a grind core band as they are not just the coarse bellow that booms from most sludge. The pace picks up on "Trampled By Light". The riff to this song is driven with a more commanding chug. The vocals are pretty much human generated white noise. The are mixed back into the guitars so more of an obligatory layer. The first hint of this band possessing intention more vicious than sludge comes about on "Bended Knee" as it's at a more feral mania bringing the more latent grind-core side to the surface. This song slows, but the focus gets shaky. There is a more deliberate sonic heaviness to "4 1/2". This puts them back into the sludge corner.

So far there are no guitar solos or anything but a sincere desire to be heavy. The guitar is tuned down so low and doubled so densely there is no reason for a bass player. "Transient" is more of a beating, with slight ebb and flow, though mostly dialed to 11. The speed back up into grind core on "Vow of Obedience". There is some weird angular atmosphere when it slows for a few bars. At under a minute vocals would have been pointless. At almost four minutes "Mantis" is one of the album's longest songs. It's like a less swampy Eyehategod. The screamed vocals are normally at a throat shredding higher mid range. With we lower growls thrown in. Almost like Sami from Acid Bath. The riff to the fast and furious "Doormat" almost seems out of character like it was lifted from a Meshuggah album and set to blasting grindcore. "Avalanche" almost feels like a continuation of " Doormat". The riffs roll on with an oppressive groove. In other words metal mush.

"Oblivion" at least makes an effort to provide dynamics by starting with a cleaner guitar tone. It does devolve into on crushing riff regurgitated into a drone which becomes the bands mission statement. Though I began to lose interest when the sound took on a more uniform pulse in the album's second half I think they accomplished what they set out to do and do this kind of thing well, I'll give it an 8 for this fact despite the fact that I personally see no reason to give this album another listen. If you are into sludge filled grind core with groove then this album is more for you than it is me. It comes out July 6th.

mol :"JORD"

This album came out in April and almost breezed by under the radar which would ave been a damn shame. They hammer into their songs with a meaner sneer than the bulk of the so called "black gaze' bands . Sure they are not far removed from Deafheaven sonically. There is kind of a catchy slant to the riff of "Prenumbra". Obviously King Diamond hails from Denmark so I am aware metal can come from the region, but it's not somewhere that strikes me as being as aggressive as what these guys delve into. The songs are not in your face 100 percent of the time, but when they are they ramp up the evil to 11. The post-rock elements are very fluid and more post-rock than shoe-gaze, as they don't work off of droning. The vocals are tortured in a squealing almost dsbm manner. Dynamics are these guys forte and the guitar is also very deft at creating trickling melodies/

The go after "Vakuum" with an almost punk like energy. One thing this band excels at is blending the light lilted passages with and underlying nastiness. Sometimes this the set against an almost thrash charged groove. "Lambda" ebbs back down to their lighter place. This is the first song where I can heard the shoe gaze part that might earn them the black gaze title. The drone on this for the first half of the song allowing the intensity to slowly swell, but refrain from cashing it in. "Ligament" has more of a death metal pound. It evolves into something with more of a lacerating blast set against the rather sweeping guitar melodies.One of the album's most straight forward songs and even then it twists and turns more than the average verse chorus ditty. It also features clean vocals that come in during the last minute of the song.

Things do begin to take on a more uniform sound as they are firmly settled into what they do to the point that I can't tell "Virga" apart from the other songs.They are redeemed from this by the powerfully driving chug of the title track. There is one bridge that sounds like the Police jamming with Alcest. Overall it's a great listen I'll give it a 9 as it due to the moment where you get lost and think it all sounds the same, typically however most of the songs are strong and they take what could be a tired bandwagon and freshen it up.

Scathed : "Already Dead"

So I need this guys to calm down and give me more songs like "Ticks" as the first two songs not only run together, but are and angry blur with some cool riffs tossed in to break things up. The rule around here is cool riffs alone do not make a good song, so that doesn't play into their favor I guess I was hoping for more from the crust side of the equation, than the hard core. I haven't really gotten to review a hell of a lot of hard core this year, not for lack of trying, but haven't found that much. The title track finds them heeding my advice as it opens with a darker slower melodic section. They are half way into the song before they race off on their punk temper tantrum. This is fine because we have now established what we like to call dynamics.

"Despondent Cries" doesn't have the benefit of dynamics to work off of and is instead and explosion of feral barking with blasting hard core propelling it. Kind of a one sided fight. In the last minute it does drop into clean guitar as an outro, but that is a too little too late. However this carries over into the instrumental after this and they strum out the chords. This seems like more of an interlude than an actual song. I do like how they bust into "Facades". So if you were thinking "This fucking guy is always wanting for things to be melodic and complains when they get heavy." this is where heavy works best for what these guys are doing as we are getting some sonic variations. The vocals prove to be  one trick pony, but the music compensates.

"Sleight of Hand" kinda bores me by being too straight forward and pretty much a form of hardcore I have heard a hundred times and then some. Then they give more of the same with a marginally more melodic guitar riff.I do like when the bass takes of the over and that inspired me to round this band's score up to a 6.5. Not what I showed up for , but it's what they do. If you like dark metallic hardcore then give it a spin.

Cult of Occult : " Anti Life"

I liked this French band's 2015 album, here the songs are more long winded and the feed back is more in your face than I remember, but it's been three years since I listened to that album. The initial crunch and roar gives this more of a sludge feel than doom. It's dirtier than doom. The rumble is more machine like and anger is the only feeling I am picking up from them. The first song works of the same plane of anguish and is not as moody as I remember them being. They tap a little further into a wider range of colors and feelings on the second song. I runs of a droning bass line with the gurgled growl of the vocals following. The build is slow on this one and it's dismal enough to cross over into doom. All four of the song's on this album are over twelve minutes and I can certainly hear where some of the fat could stand to be cut.

The third song descended into a  slow sludge pounding. It has a ton of weight to it , but not much in the way of dynamics. Apocalyptic in the density of the feed back. Eight minutes in and the song kind of wanders of. The snarled vocals go into more of a manic chant.  Twelve Minutes in the song descends into chaos. They close the album with a powerful pound that makes me reflect on a conversation I had with my friend Eyal who was making fun of the fact that bands always say "this is going to be our heaviest and most brutal album yet". Cult of Occult makes good on this promise, but in the end is that the best case scenario when it comes to being a listener?  It depends on what you want from music. At the last Fetish convention I attended there was a phrase that stuck with me "Don't yuck on someone else's yum" So you might be a sonic masochist. If you want punishment it is here.

Since this blog is not about punishment, but about songs the rule here of "Cool riffs alone do not a good song make" weighs heavily against the heavy here. When I let over six minutes pass of continues pounding drone, no variance in the growl of the vocals I am going to get bored. So the badge of honor going to heaviest thud, is really an empty victory to my ears. I'll give this album a 7.5 because it does accomplish what it set out to do and they are good at what they do , I think the last album offered a little wider color scheme.
 

Glass Lungs : "Impermanence"

This Brooklyn is about a decade or two late. This is what I would have really love at about 2002. It's a post-rock emo with a solid dose of Circa Survive to it. Despite not being directly from Boston I am going to guess these guys are probably Berklee Grads as it has that kind of technical proficiency. The vocals are almost too ell trained as they take on kind of a Jared Leto feel in places. The problem with the Berklee thing begins to be felt by the second as they can teach you how to play, but songwriting can't be taught. You can learn formula of what has been proven to work, but not how to put yourself into the song, as that is a more abstract almost magical process and these guys are total muggles. It feels like they are just working off of a formula.

This one begins to lose momentum fast as I had to look up at the screen to see I was on the 3rd song and not the 2nd , so all of these songs sound the same. I could stand for them to get a little darker , but ok with them not being heavier as I was looking for something more middle of the road to listen to. They get moodier on "Casting Stones" . The bass lends a little heft. "Eyes of the Abyss" has a cool surreal feel to the falsetto break in the middle of the song, then things get mired back down in the formula and the uniform nature of their sound. They build the intensity a little on "Firewalker" but it's not what I would call heavy. Perhaps this might translate better live and it's been overproduced. The guitar sounds great until it comes time to put some balls into things and that where it falls flat.

"Empire" finds them going down more of a 30 Seconds to Mars path. This does find them taking on a more solid rock groove rather than diddling in the atmosphere too much. The album's heaviest moment comes at the end of this song with a pounding post-hardcore yell over the drums building into double bass. "Foreign Bodies" finds them ebbing back down to a more middle of the road place. The it continues to go out with a whimper as the last song feels kinda empty. I'll give this album a 7, due to the fact they are skilled at what they do and it sounds good there is just nothing that makes this an urgent listen to me or as kids today say...I'm not really feeling these guys. But if you are into the Circa Survive era of Myspace emo then check this out.

The Top 10 Rock / Pop Albums of 2018...so far

O.k it's already June so we are half way into 2018, so here's a progress report to take a look at what the best albums of the year are so far.I sorted them by score and then let Last FM tell me what I've listened to the most. After all I can think an album is great on first listen, but if it doesn't keep me returning to it then how great can it be ? This seems less pre-mature than past years, as I think I am caught up on everything coming out before August with all the promos in my in-box. So Rock and pop is a broad term for any album that is not metal though a few come close, it ranges from stoner rock to goth electro. Rather than include audio samples, I put links to the original reviews where those can be found. Six months will tell how these pan out come December.



10-Psychedelic Witchcraft : " Sound of  the Wind"


Female fronted "occult rock" or "vest metal" bands almost became a thing back in 2012. Here is a band from Italy we have covered before that still carries that torch. After an acoustic intro the band is back their brand of occult tinged stoner rock. The crunch of the guitar's organic warmth is what contributes most to the retro core of their sounds. Virgina Monti proves right from the opening track that she is not to be relegated to sultry and is a capable rock singer of her own merit, with vocal melodies that are more biting. The Sabbath influence lingers at some of the songs edges more vividly in some places than others.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/psychedelic-witchcraft-sound-of-wind.html


 

9-Cold Cave : "You & Me & Infinity"

 Wesley is back with the second ep since 2011's "Cherish the Light Years " was released.  Things have change since then and the dark wave dance anthems we found seven years ago on that full length have given way to something with a more stark outlook. The vocals feel darker and have more of a traditional goth croon. Musically it's also not as upbeat and dancey. This is fine with me. Lyrically the romance gone wrong theme is far from new, I think the dry bleak delivery is the strength of the song mood wise.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/cold-cave-you-me-infinity.html

8-Sleep : " the Sciences"


 If you are new to stoner metal and just crawling out from under a mushroom, then you might know guitarist Matt Pike from this other band called High On Fire. Al Cisneros who handles the vocals has also played in OM and this time they have the drummer from Neurosis sitting behind the drums. I'll go ahead and warn you that the first song is just feed back and distortion and not really a song at all, though it might scare you. However they have been kind enough buds to let you known when it's safe to listen by including the sound of a water bong being fired up. The vocals come across a little different than I remember. They are lower and not as soaked in effects. They keep proving themselves capable of sitting along side the like of Kyuss in the smoky halls of stoner rock royalty.< 


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/sleep-sciences.html

7-Messa : "Feast For Water"

My first thought when I heard the beginning moments of  "Snakeskin Drape" was this is like a metal version of Lana Del Ray. The tempo picks up and finds them falling closer in line to other "occult" rock of their ilk like Christian Mistress. There is more raw rumble going when they gain speed that what their peers typically muster. The over driven roar is more of a production choice as cleaner mixed guitar play around it. There are plenty of guitar  solos that give it a more jammy feel.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/messa-feast-for-water.html

6-Hilary Woods : "Colt"

 Hilary Woods would not be out of place on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Less fey sounding than the Cocteau Twins, yet it occupies a similar sonic space as an album like "Treasure". These ballads are haunting, yet invoke spirits of inner space rather than from beyond the grave. Hazy not dark would be the best way to describe the sound. There is a jazz like minimalism, though unlike 90s acid jazz, it serves the melody rather than the beat. The percussion on these songs is incidental.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/hilary-woods-colt.html

5-Chvrches : " Love Is Dead" 


 So this band was my methadone to ween me off a violent addiction to Taylor Swift's "1989" album. For the most part it worked only to get me hooked on their sugary electro pop. Things are only getting worse in the best possible way from there. Lauren Mayberry has lost the goth trappings of her look, and this album might not be the same shade of gray we have heard from them previous. The chorus to "Get Our" busts out and grabs your ear. The synths have a shinier sheen of plastic to them. The vocals are well layered and produced. Less dripping with effects than Taylor Swift's last album. 


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/chvrches-love-is-dead.html

4-The Weeknd : "My Dear Melancholy" 


 I was afraid that he might have become too preoccupied with being a TMZ personality and consumed with the celebrity of being a celebrity or trying to make comic books to focus on music. He has had enough in the way of personal drama to fuel a song or two , but would this happen. If he pushed the pop envelope further I felt he was going to lose what set him apart from the other mainstream r&b singers, though artist could apply to him the same can't be said of his peers who are closer to being entertainers than musicians. My fears were laid to rest as picks up where he left off before "the Beauty Behind the Madness" .


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-weeknd-my-dear-melancholy.html

3-Black Salvation : "Uncertainty is Bliss" 


Former In Solitude and Grave Pleasures drummer Uno Bruniusson. But each member of this trio is highly talented. The guitarist Paul Schlesier handles the vocals. He gives the band a darker sound with a croon not unlike that employed on In Solitude's "Sister" album though more Jim Morrison than King Diamond. I am glad the fact the In Solitude connection caught my eye. While these guys are not metal, fans of In Solitude will find enough common ground to enjoy this one.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/black-salvation-uncertainty-is-bliss.html

2-Iceage-"Beyondless" 


I was worried the boys from Denmark would stray to far from punk after their last album and the funky Rolling Stones like side project of their singer . The first song holds roots in the early days of punk, but is just good fucking music.I am glad the gray clouds close in over the second half of the album, though none of it is sunshine and puppies. This preserves the growing legacy of this band


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/iceage-beyondless.html

1-Strvngers - "Amor Noir"

 Dripping with a sex fueled rock edge to the vocals this is a departure from the tired dark wave of the 90's though still pays enough homage to that era so at times find grooves that remind me a little of Orgy.  Plenty of samples that sound like they could have been lifted from a porn help give the album's narrative. More layered and nuanced than their earlier work that owed more to bands like Aesthetic Perfection.t went straight to my iPod ,which is as big of a compliment as I can give any band. The real estate of gbs in my iPod is pretty competitive considering the amount of music I consume on any given day. When I had to restore my lap top to factory setting and all my music was erased, this was the main album I freaked out about. Though I grew up a poor goth child so that factors into my love affair with album too.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/strvngers-amor-noir.html

Halcyon Way : "Bloody But Unbowed"

In 2018 how does one do progressive metal. By progressive metal we are talking about the branch that stems from it's last know source  with bands like Queensryche and Fates Warning, not djent or Mastodon. There is less relevance in bands like Kamelot and Symphony X, who these guys have obviously looked to for inspiration. The big yodeled chorus of the title track, seems like the 90s answer to that question. They are going for a more aggressive take on this with growled backing vocals and guitars harmonizing rather than synths. There are some wanky guitar solos. These guys have been at it for 17 years, so despite line up changes they have a solid idea of who they are and how they want to do this. The big biting guitar sound that would not be out of place on a more melodic grooving death metal album, gives their sound the extra muscle needed to compensate for the vocals.

By the time we are at "Blame" they seem to have played the bulk of the cards in their hand. When they return to the well to try these tricks again it's less effective with me. The almost power metal like vocals , are too happy for me and the problem with many of the bands in this genre is they begin to sound like a pumped up version of Journey. There do some production tricks on this song that almost give them a more Disturbed like feel, which is not a compliment. "Slaves to Silicon" finds them adding some electronic touches to the bells and whistles , which work fairly well give a wider range of color. The vocals on the verse have more of a Kamelot feel. The chorus to this one makes me think of Daath's "Dead on the Dance Floor". The death metal snarls continue to accent things around the more muscular Journey vocals. Even on a song like "Superpredator" which is supposed to be heavier, the vocal's have an almost cock element to them that dulls the song's sting.

"Primal Scream" finds the pace picking up. The vocals don't do much to compliment this. In this way it sounds like the singer from Steel Panther jamming with a groove oriented death metal band. By "Ten Thousand Ways" the cock rock factor is beginning to wear on me and it's not like the melodies are strong enough to justify this. Groove remains in the heart with a kinda of  Myspace era thrashing that comes close to Bullet For Valentine in it's best intention. Most of those Myspace metal bands were heavier hair metal so it's like these guys just kept doing what they had been doing until it came around full circle.  Self awareness goes a long way, while they are trying their best to be heavier how can they not hear that the layered harmonized vocals are going against this heaviness they are trying to achieve.

There is more of a Killswitch Engage to the riff of "Cast of Another Stone". The lyrics continue to be pretty stupid  here, reaching a new low on this one. The breakdown on the verses not doing them any favors though there are some accents that work well so it's hit or miss measure by measure. There are windows of opportunity for every bandwagon that rolls through and I think it's clear if this had come out at their formation a bigger label would have been willing to pick this album up. Not that record labels make or break a band these days, you just can't help feel this is going to fade into obscurity. Harsher vocals continue to haunt the corners of the song , while the more cheese laden vocals are the obvious focal point. to the point they make "Crowned In Violence" hard to listen to. "Burning Summit" fades into the formula with nothing that makes it stand out from the rest. Production wise is where this album excels and brings it to a Five Finger Punch level...if that's something to be proud of? While this album might be the sound of a tree falling in the woods, I am surprised that it was not loaded with the kind of power ballads that were once this bands stock and trade and they are making a concerted effort to get heavier now if they could do something about those vocals . I'l give this a 7. It comes out on Agonia Records August 3rd.

The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2018 ...so far

O.k it's already June so we are half way into 2018, so here's a progress report to take a look at what the best albums of the year are so far.I sorted them by score and then let Last FM tell me what I've listened to the most. After all I can think an album is great on first listen, but if it doesn't keep me returning to it then how great can it be ? This seems less pre-mature than past years, as I think I am caught up on everything coming out before August with all the promos in my in-box. Rather than include audio samples, I put links to the original reviews where those can be found. Six months will tell how these pan out come December.






10-Lychgate :" The Contagion in Nine Steps"

 If  you showed up for black metal I can understand why this might be jarring. It's also really dark and interesting so if you don't recognize that and want just blast beats so eat more glue and chase it with a bullet. This is not to say I approve of every movement in this shifting landscape of angular chaos. I do approve of the sense of adventure and rebellion against the black metal status quo even at risk of not being black metal anymore. I think the atmosphere and melancholy is the albums strong point though it is a listen that makes you think more than you might want to.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/lychgate-contagion-in-nine-steps.html

9- Necros Christos: " Domedon Doxomedon"

T he third album by this German band is being heralded as their last. It is more melodic and straight forward . They have come out from the murk of cavernous reverb to have a more organic sound. Gone is the darker Incantation worship. For matter there are few moments that sound like Morbid Angel. The vocals carry more of a croak, than the deeper growl I remember from these guys. Due to this the lyrics are more discernible. They are also more of a focal point with the opener being a clear cut take on the Jesus myth.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/necros-christos-domedon-doxomedon.html

8-Fister : "No Spirit Within"


 I was surprised these guys didn't lead off hitting me with a wall of fuzzed out distortion. Instead it's reverb drenched western sounding guitar. The first song is just an intro rather than an actual song, as it gives way to the wretched vocal howls and crunching slabs of low tuned riffs I was expecting. It poses the question where does doom begin and sludge end.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/fister-no-spirit-within.html

7-Dimmu Borgir : " Eonian" 


An 8 year wait from an album is asking a lot. These guys are one of my favorite bands. I don't expect them to be black metal, I expect them to do what they do. This involves their ever evolving sound that retains the core of who they are. The opener " the Unveiling", finds Shagrath croaking his way through the verses. There is a huge choral sound midway into the song. This confirms they are more of a symphonic metal band than a black metal band. I heard "Inter dimensional Summit" before the album came out , while I think the choral refrain used for the chorus is a little over top and some of the melodies could stand to be darker. But it continues to grow on me as I get used to the changes.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/dimmu-borgir-eonian.html

6-Watain : "Trident Wolf Eclipse" 


 It is very thundering with the combative thrashing dialed way up.Stay in a blasting fury with equally feral rawness of "Sacred Damnation". This song does carry some more nuanced accents, the overall tone in comparison to  but  to "the Wild Hunt" proves this to be a much more straightforward black metal album, as they return  to their more mean spirited roots. They band could have easily said "This album is going to be a return to our heavier more punishing sound, and they would not have been lying.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/watain-trident-wolfe-eclipse.html


 

5-Ilsa : " Corpse Fortress" 

The D.C  band is refusing to hold back on  on their debut for Relapse Records. The band's 5th full length finds them continuing to hammer skulls in with the sheer density of their blown out sludge. Dirty and squealing with feedback.I know it has hung tough in my iPod since I got it and has earned multiple listens I think it is a huge step forward for the band.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/ilsa-corpse-fortress.html

4-LLNN : "Deads" 


 It's rare that I download an album from a band I never have heard before. I typically stream it. I sort through so much music and know such a small percentage will be music that I need to own that I listen to an album a few times, review it then move on. So it says a lot when a really heavy band like this grabs my attention. Hard core might be at the beating heart of this monster. I think what I like about this the most is the sonic intensity.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/llnn-deads.html

3-Ministry : "Amerikkka"

 Al slows down and gives into his anger in a way that digs back into the darkness of "Darkside of the Spoon" rather than a struggle with addiction this album finds him struggling with the world around him. I interviewed Al  Jourgensen  back during the summer of the 2016 Presidential Campaign he mad his feelings known about the state of the union. There is enough new to make this feel like it's not a retro flirtation with their past.This album is well balanced and works off mood more than just being in your face. Sure it has more of a smack out feel than a speed ball blitz, so perhaps that is why I am more partial to this side of the band.

< http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/ministry-amerikkkant.html

2-Totalselfhatred : "Solitude" 


One of my favorite bands. It had been 7 years since their last album. This band from Finland had a more aggressive take on depressive black metal, so it is hard to complain about what goes down as it's so well done.In fact maturity is one of this album's characteristics. Gone are the rock god solos, but everything is still well played and there is no doubt they are excellent musicians who have grown up to serve the song. Finds them a little more mellowed with time, but with a wider depth of emotion.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/black-metal-history-month.html

1-Voices : "Frightened" 

 Former members of Akercocke formed this progressive metal band. This is way more melodic that I expected and that is what drew me in further to this album. It has a wide array of vocal colors. The metal core of what these musicians creates from doesn't hamper it from bringing other elements ranging from post-punk to post- hardcore, though I guess these post-men aren't just ringing twice as any other post-sub genre can also be found. It's hard to imagine someone else this year being able to bring it in the dark and aggressive fashion these guys do so well.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/voices-frightened.html